TBS
by Gnine
Summary: The boys are having a little trouble figuring out who gets who...(Yay! Hazaah! I finished, its done!!! Soo happy!)
1. Allies

Spoilors: there might be minor ones, Aya-chan and such...  
Pairings: It's a secret...well, not really, more of just confusing...can we say love _rectangle_?   
Keywords: the boys, shonen ai   
Author's note: This is an attempt at humor, emphausis on _attempt_ ;P Please take it as such...the title, for those curious, goes right along with the 'humor' thing and is an acronym as well as something of a joke between me and my oneechan...if truly curious, just ask :)Now, on with the show! 

T.B.S. 

By Gnine 

Chapter 1: Allies 

The oldest member of Weiss barely suppressed another yawn as he climbed the last few steps up to his room. Fiddling with the keys for a moment in the dim light, he finally located the correct one and jammed it into the lock, proceeding then to bump the door open with his hip while at the same time removing his jacket. It'd been along night, full of wine, women and dancing. The perfect thing to get a certain someone off his mind... 

Shaking his head in frustration, attempting clear the vision of bright, alluring blue eyes out of his head, he reached for the light 

And yelped in surprise as the sudden illumination revealed he was not alone. 

"Aya? What the hell are you--" 

"_Kudo_…" The single word froze him in his tracks, an uncharacteristic anger filling the usually icy-cold voice. Feeling slightly apprehensive, but unwilling to show it, he shrugged. 

"Wanna tell me what the hell you're doing in my room?" 

Amethyst eyes regarded him coolly for a moment and only long association allowed the older man to see the emotions broiling beneath. "It is unforgivable how you've been treating Ken." 

Yohji blinked. "Hn? Run that by me again?" 

"While he has been doing everything to get your attention, you have ignored him completely, teased him, crushed his feelings" While he spoke, the red-head slowly advanced, fists clenched, causing the blond to take a reluctant step back. "And finally, what you did tonight, you will apologize for!" 

Taking yet another step and encountering the wall, his mind desperately tried to process what the other was saying. Fear suddenly turned into anger as what Aya accused finally sunk in. Eyes narrowed, Yohji decided it was high time he released some of what he'd been meaning to tell the up-tight-human icicle for quite some time. 

"You should talk! How the hell can you accuse me after all you've done to Omi!" 

That halted the other, eyes widening ever so slightly. "Omi? What's he got to--" 

"I'll tell you! Haven't you ever noticed the way the boy fauns over you. No! You're to busy with your high and mighty missions to ever care about someone else's feelings. " 

Now that he'd started, he couldn't stop, the words he'd been bottling up for months ever since he'd noticed the young boy's crush all pouring forth. "God, you make me sick! You're a damn uncaring hypocrite! _Me_ treating _Ken_ badly? Look in the god damn mirror, Aya!" 

"That is _enough_!" The dangerously low tone accompanied with the famous glare O'death usually would have been more than enough to shut him up and send most other people running for the hills, but not this time. 

"No! No, I'm not going to stop. You are damn well going to hear this!" 

"We can discuss Omi later, now you are going to be made aware of what you're doing to Ken!" 

"Screw Ken, Omi--" He should have seen the punch coming; in hind sight it was obvious, but the pain as it connected with his face came as a surprise. 

***** 

It was originally the raised voices that had roused Omi from bed and sent him heading to Yohji's door, rubbing sleep from his bleary eyes as he went. Tapping lightly on the door with one hand, the other covering a yawn. 

"Oi, Yohji-kun, could you keep it down, I do have school tomorrow and" The subsequent shout and crash had Omi reaching hurriedly for the door knob. Finding it unlocked, he threw it open, just as Ken raced up behind him, old baseball bat in hand, looking only half-awake. 

"Omi, what the heck is going..." Both stopped, shocked at the sight that met their eyes. "...on?" The brunette finished lamely. 

Oblivious to their audience, the two elder members of Weiss were wrestling on the floor, knocking over things left and right as they threw and dodged kicks and punches. 

"Yohji! Leave Aya alone!!" Omi's shout coincided with Ken's "Aya, what the hell do you think you're doing to Yohji!?" 

The two men in question froze, hands on each other's throats, and glanced up at the two boys. Both immediately released the other as if they'd been burned, Yohji donning an embarrassed expression while Aya's ever-present emotionless mask fell back into place. 

"What were you two doing?" Omi demanded, pinning them both with an annoyed glare, still partially peeved about being woken up but more disturbed by what he'd found. 

With out a word, Aya pushed past him and Ken in the door way, presumably heading for his room. The young boy mentally sighed. _Guess it was too much to hope for that he'd answer...or even notice me._ He turned his focus back to Yohji, but Ken beat him to the question this time. 

"Care to explain?" 

The blond shook his head, reaching for the cigarettes on the bureau next to him. "Nope." 

Omi ground his teeth in frustration. "So, we get woken up in the middle of the night to an all out fight between you and Aya and you're not even going to tell us what it's all about?" 

Again a nod, reaching this time for his lighter. 

"And you shouldn't smoke!" Ken and Omi added simultaneously, eliciting a glare from the older man. 

"Want to get out of my room?" 

Omi shrugged, turning and taking a few steps, only to realize Ken wasn't following. With a sigh, he snagged the older boy's arm. "C'mon." 

With one last sad look at Yohji, the soccer player turned as well, the sad look in his expressive brown eyes giving Omi the desire to punch the older man for his insensitivity to his best friend. 

As the door slammed behind them, neither caught the disgusted look on Yohji's face as he tossed the un-lit cigarette in the trash nor heard the muttered "Love-sick Baka." 

Though whether he referred to himself or another was unclear. 

***** 

Ken had just crawled back into bed when he heard a soft tap at his door. While he debated rolling over and ignoring it, the tapping became louder, more insistent. He groaned, flipping back the covers and struggling, for the second time tonight, out of his warm cocoon of blankets. 

"Nani?" He barked, approaching the door. 

"Ken, can we talk?" Omi. He shoved back the slight disappointment. Throwing open the door, he stalked back to his bed, flopping down once more. "Wha..yah want?" He asked into his pillow, eye's already falling shut. 

Silence answered. After a moment, Ken cracked an eye open. Sitting up, he regarded the younger boy leaning against the door, eyes down, absorbed in thought. 

"Ano...Omi" Blue eyes suddenly shot up, piercing brown with their intense, searching gaze. 

"You're in love with him, aren't you?" 

_Huh?_ "What are you--" 

"With Yohji, you love him, don't you?" Ken could feel his cheeks burning as he ducked his head. 

"I...I don't know what you're talking 'bout." He mumbled, fingers plucking at the covers as he got a snort in response. That brought his eyes up, about to protest, but Omi simply shrugged, a smile playing across his lips. 

"Come on, Ken. How long have we been friends? I know you...and I can tell. You love him." 

The brunet sighed, deflating, chin falling to rest on his chest. "And he loves you." He mumbled, damning the pricks he felt starting to form in his eyes. _Can't blame him though, Omi's definitely a better find then me! Smart, kind,mature, beautiful, responsible, compa---_

"Hn?? N…nani?" 

Startled, Ken glanced up at his friend in surprise, taking in the look of utter disbelief on the other's face. "What? You mean…" he resisted the urge to break down into laughter. "You mean you didn't know?" 

The boy suddenly slid to the floor, eyes going round in shock. "Yohji, " he swallowed, starting again. "Yohji…loves me?" 

"Yup!" Ken's eyes danced, pushing aside his own worries to further explore this new, and rather interesting, development. 

"But...but..." 

"But you love Aya." He murmured it softly, forcing a tone of seriousness into his voice. If it was possible, the blue eyes grew even wider. 

"How--" 

"--did I know?" Brown eyes flashed in merriment, as he threw the younger boy a broad grin. "Like you said, we've been friend's for a long time…" Omi continued to stare at him for a moment longer, then nodded, eye's returning to whatever spot of fading carpet had had him so absorbed before. 

For a minute, the only sound heard was the distant noise of cars as they passed by outside, each boy silent, lost in his own thoughts. Ken's were pulled sharply back to the here and now as Omi jumped up, a grin spreading across his young face. 

"Oi, Ken-kun, I'll make a deal with you. I help you get Yohji-kun and in turn--" 

"I help you get Aya? I don't know, Aya's one cold..." At Omi's down cast eyes, he hastily brought what he was going to say to a halt. "Sorry. It's just that I kinda wonder sometimes if he actually cares about anyone." 

"Aya-chan." The blond murmured softly. Ken shrugged, the kid had a point. "Well, then," he clapped the other on the shoulder, getting him to look up once more, "if it's possible, we'll find a way to thaw that heart of ice, ne?" 

"Arigato!" Omi shouted, enveloping him in a bear hug, both boys simultaneously praying that this really would work and they could finally have the ones they loved. 

***** 

The place was quiet. Thankfully, thought Aya as he sat in the kitchen, gazing out the window at the setting sun. He could just barely hear Yohji banging around in the shop, finishing the last of the closing. The younger two members of Weiss were absent, Ken off to soccer practice and Omi pleading a study group or some such. He didn't particularly care, as long as they were gone. 

He had found it more and more difficult in the last few months to be around Ken without having his attention drawn to the boy, those brown eyes, that soft hair... 

He shook himself, frowning ever so slightly. He was an assassin, not some love sick school girl! Still…that didn't stop his eyes from wandering constantly to the fellow assassin. _Yamero!_ He commanded himself, _you feel nothing, you don't care, you..._

The sigh escaped before he could stop it. Who was he kidding? And now, to top it all off, he had the problem of Omi to deal with. Since last night, he couldn't get what Youji said out of his mind. 

Had he really been hurting the boy? As much as he deemed not to show it, he had grown attached to all three of his team mates, even that rude, obnoxious, womanizing Yohji, he added with a mental smile. And he possessed no desire to make any of them unhappy. But… 

"So, O'fearless leader, the sunset offering any solutions to your dilemmas?" 

He stiffened slightly at the unwelcome intrusion, but chose not to acknowledge it, hoping the older man would get the idea and leave him alone. 

Luck wasn't with him as he heard the soft, yet distinctive footsteps as the other man approached. 

"Why won't you just admit it?" 

Aya turned to him then, eye brow raised in gesture of questioning. Yohji sighed, snagging the nearest chair and flipping it around. "You're just determined to make this difficult, aren't you?" 

A slight rise and fall of his shoulders, then the red head returned his gaze to the sinking sun. Behind him he could hear the sounds of the other man shifting in the chair, getting out a cigarette. "Not in the house." 

A grunt. "Not you too!" 

"Ken and Omi dislike it." 

"Don't I know it!" But the lighter was returned to his pocket, Aya noted out of the corner of his eye, and the pack left untouched on the table beside him. 

"I was up most of the night thinking about what you'd said...what I'd said, all of it..." 

Aya continued in his refusal to respond, determined not to reveal how curious he was about what Yohji had to say. After a few more moments of his silence, the blond let out a disgusted snort. 

"Damn, but you're a cold bastard. Why won't you just admit how you feel? Cause believe me, after last night, I know…" He left the words hanging like a threat in the air for a heartbeat, then reached out, roughly grabbing Aya's shoulder, and spinning him. 

"Say it! You love Ken, don't you!" he hissed in the other's face. 

Amethyst eyes suddenly pierced green, holding them. "As much as you love Omi." He whispered. The reaction was instantaneous; Yohji released him, shoving away, stumbling back. They stood a few feet apart, glaring, before Aya stood and made to exit the room. 

At the door he paused, turning back. "I propose an alliance. If you assist me in obtaining Ken, I will return the favor and attempt to turn Omi's affections in your direction." 

Yohji simply stared, stunned for a second. "H..hai." A curt nod, and Aya departed, leaving a surprised, but slowly smiling Yohji in his wake. 

***** 

To be Continued...*****

***** Well, actually, this story has been TBC for quite a while, but I'm hoping to get working on it again soon...of course, reviews/asking/begging(yes I know I'm shameless!)/threats(the nice, happy kind ;) usually makes the process go faster...ie C&C are VERY welcome! :) 


	2. Strategies

Wow, so I'm FINALLY getting this second part out! *shock* And I have a lot of people to thank, mainly neechan and Meghan, but also all the wonderful people who reviewed when I posted (especially Jin, for reviewing twice...seems I read quite a bit of thanks to her at the beginning of a lot of recent fics, you rock, Jin! Kenken fans unite!) 

What most people don't probably realize is I actually wrote the first part of this fic almost a year ago but it wasn't till a month or two ago, when I posted it on FF.net, thanks to the response, did I get an inkling to write more, so, arigato minna. (And yes, this is a shameless ploy to encourage more reviews if anyone else wants the next parts after this ;) 

And, now without further ado, T.B.S. Part 2 

***** 

"Anoo, Aya-kun, you're bleeding." 

The red-head jerked around sharply at Omi's words before slowly glancing down at his hands. If the teen hadn't been watching as closely as was he would have missed the slight look of surprise that swept over the older man's striking features as he released his death grip on the dozen rose-stems he had been working with. 

Without even acknowledging his teammate, the assassin pushed roughly past, heading for the back room and presumably a band-aid. 

Sighing, Omi reached for the battered flowers, feeling almost sorry for them. It wasn't easy being in the way of Aya's wrath. Of course, the true target of the sword-man's anger was standing on the opposite side of the shop, trying his hardest to water the plants...and failing miserably. 

The fact that Ken was getting way behind on his work was the most likely reason for the red-head's frustration; Omi couldn't think of anything else in the direction Aya had been glaring for the last five minutes that would get him so riled up. 

Still, if that _was_ what was making him mad, he was overreacting. It wasn't like Ken could do anything about it, they all well knew. The girls were often annoying and hampered their work greatly; however, they were also their largest source of income, and more often than not, the flowers were given right back to them, thus allowing them to resell them numerous times. If any of their oh-so-frequent customers/admires had caught on to that fact, they had as yet chosen not to comment and simply kept buying the same arrangements, over, and over, and over again. 

But no matter how often they dealt with screaming hoards of fangirls, Ken still got flustered when six or seven of them were rubbing up against him. 

Yohji often joked how clumsy their 'Kenken' could be, but that was doing an injustice to the brunet. In actuality, his friend was one of the most dexterous people Omi knew...except when the girls were pressing in close. Then pots got dropped, or water got splashed, as was happening now. 

Once, Omi had tried defending his friend, pointing out it was difficult for anyone to work neatly when they were being crowded and hassled by that many screaming, cooing teenage girls. To which the playboy had replied that he somehow managed it fine. Aya had ended the argument with the icy comment that the only reason the older man managed was because he simply stopped working all together. 

Omi sighed again. _Aya, it always comes back to him._ Maybe he really was frozen, a beautifully crafted sculpture of ice, like Yohji teased, like Ken kept hinting at during their "strategy" sessions. It would explain how he could get so furious with Ken when the brunet really was trying his hardest-- 

"Omi, the next batch of deliveries is ready. " 

The sharp call broke into his thoughts. Quickly he made his way over to the object of said thoughts, who was frowning down at the large bundle of flowers gathered on the counter, waiting to go out. As the teen neared, Aya glanced up, eyes flashing amethyst in the bright lights. It was enough to take Omi's breath away. _God, he's beautiful...even in that hideous orange sweater._

Yohji frequently complained that his poor eyes should not be subjected to viewing such terrible color clashing; the redhead answered with silence, and continued to wear the thing. Omi hated to admit it, but he agreed with the older blond...and yet, somehow, the offending article of clothing was growing on him...or maybe he could just find Aya beautiful no matter what he was wearing...or not wearing, not was good, not was very-- 

"This is a rather large delivery for one person." The other's muttered statement thankfully brought Omi back to reality before he embarrassed himself too badly. 

"Yohji!" Aya shouted, turning towards where the older man was happily flirting with two women, in their mid-twenties but still giggling like the schoolgirls surrounding them. Realizing he was the focus of the sword-man's attention, he sauntered over, throwing Omi a sly grin as he joined them. 

The teen bit back a grimace, trying to hide his discomfort. Ken swore that the blond was after him, but it had been hard to believe, especially the way he flirted with anything that moved, was vaguely female, and over 18. But then again, over the last few days he had been noticing more and more how hollow the older man's words and smiles always seemed...except when talking to Omi. 

"So, what's up?" 

"This is a large shipment. Go with him and help out." With that Aya made to turn away and return to the poor roses. 

Trying to ignore the grin spreading across Yohji's face, Omi cleared his voice. "Anoo, why don't you send Ken with Yohji, since I still have that arrangement to finish." He nodded at his work station. "And, besides, I think he could use the break." He glanced pointedly at the girls, one of whom had taken it upon herself to glomp Ken around the waist and not let go (that'd be me ;-), which seemed to be making the simple task of plant watering almost impossible. 

As Aya's features darkened like the sky does before, say, a hurricane, Omi realized that maybe that had not been the best place to draw the older man's attention. _And yet he's even sexier when angry_...not _helping!_ he berated his subconscious. Clearing his throat once more and trying to figure out what to say, he was saved by Ken himself strolling over, either drawn by the impromptu gathering of the other three or simply desperate for a chance to escape the girls at least for a bit. 

Probably the latter, considering the second his entourage spotted the red-head's stormy face, they fled to the far sides of the shop and became very absorbed in the displays. 

"I couldn't help but overhear we need two people for the delivery," he stated cheerfully, obviously relieved to be freed from his fangirls' clutches. "Why don't you go with Omi, Aya, since me and Yohji still have watering and a few arrangements left to put together?" 

Omi could have cheered. That was the perfect solution, allowing Ken some time alone in the shop with Yohji during closing, while he got a nice long quiet ride with Aya, just the two of them. 

Apparently, the solution wasn't so 'perfect' for either of the older two assassins. Yohji frowned, and Aya snapped, "Yohji, Omi, get those flowers delivered. Ken, there are plants to be watered," before he turned, making his way to the counter and the mangled roses he had left there. 

Ken sighed, threw Omi a 'well, I tried,' look, and headed back to his hose and harem. 

"Well, bishounen, shall we get moving?" With that, the older man threw an arm around the teen's shoulders. By reflex, he shrugged it off and turned to gather up the flowers, but not before catching the other's hurt look. 

That gave him pause--why did he shrug it off? _If Ken's right, then I'm hurting him the same way Aya's hurting me. Why am I being so indifferent to his feelings? He's offering me kindness, maybe even love and I'm giving him...coldness. _

Admit it, Omi, it's nice knowing someone cares about you, why push it away? 

On their final trip to the car with the last bunch of flowers, Omi noticed the arm had somehow found its way back around his shoulders. About to repeat his previous reaction, he paused, and allowed it to stay. It was hard loving Aya, hard loving someone so beautiful, yet so cold...and Yohji's arm around him was warm. 

***** 

Speeding along the narrow road, Yohji was enjoying the cool breeze on his face, soothing him, relaxing him, keeping him from doing anything too foolish...or so he hoped. Aya had given him the perfect chance, and he'd be damned if he was going to pass it up. And yet-- 

He glanced over at his silent passenger, who was offering him only a profile view with his head tilted back, eyes closed, also obviously enjoying the wind created by their swift passage. 

--and yet, he didn't want to push his luck. _He's more than worth a little patience. _

Glancing over again, he debated reaching out and caressing the teen's cheek. It was sure to be soft, smooth...perfect. Just like everything else, from those captivating baby-blue eyes to his flawless-- 

*HONK* 

The blaring of the oncoming car's horn rushed him back to reality. Strange, that didn't seem right, the car appeared to be in his lane...oh, shit. Jerking the wheel to the left, he just barely got them back in their proper lane before the sports car hurtled past. 

"Yohji?!" The loud honking followed by the subsequent erratic movement of the vehicle had roused Omi, bringing him fully upright, straining against the seatbelt and glancing around wildly. 

Shifting his eyes over for only a peek before hurriedly returning them to the road, Yohji shrugged. "Ah...squirrel?" 

The skeptical snort made it plain what the teen thought of that explanation. Still, Yohji had doubts he wanted to hear what had really distracted the older man. Apparently he was right, because no more was said on the subject; the only noise created by the wind as it rustled the flowers in their plastic wrap. 

Just as the temptation of perusing his young companion was winning against the common sense of actually paying attention to his driving, Omi saved them both from the likely fate of a car wreck or worse by speaking up. 

"Ano, Yohji-kun?" 

"Nn?" Concentrate on the road, not on the person speaking. 

"Mind if I ask you a question?" Quietly, almost hesitant. 

Thoughts are on driving, not on him. _Not on those soft, light pink lips speaking those quiet, alluring words_ ...Damn, where was a bucket of ice water when he needed one? Or just Aya, he could cool anything off. 

"What were you and Aya-kun fighting about a few days ago?" 

Well, what do you know...that worked, too. Suddenly the road seemed very appealing. Anywhere was good to look, in fact, except at the one thing that had been so distracting only a moment before. He decided to answer in the only way he could think of. 

"Umm..." 

Without glancing over, he could tell that was not going to appease Omi's curiosity. Pity, too, 'cause there was no way in hell Yohji planned on telling him the truth. 

"Yohji-kun, please, it's important." 

"Why?" 

He could feel those sharp blues eyes on him, searching his face, searching for truths that the older man planned to continue hiding unless a really good reason spurred him to do otherwise. 

"Because it's not every night two members of Weiss try to kill each other in our own home." His voice was insistent...and worried. 

Yohji just shrugged. "Oh, I don't know, I seem to remember that on the first night a certain red-head joined our team, Ken duked it out with him." 

There was the unmistakable sound of jeans rubbing against leather as Omi squirmed in his seat. "That was different. We'd just met him. The four of us have been working together, as well as sharing the same house, for how long? And last night we get woken up in the dead of night to you guys trying to kill each other!" He took a deep breath. "What is going on?!" 

But Yohji wasn't listening. _Is that when you fell for him?_ he silently asked the absent Aya. _Was it that first night you realized it was Ken you wanted? Or did it take some time, the way it did for me with the bishounen._

And what about Ken?_ How long has he felt that way about me?_ It couldn't have been since they first met, of that Yohji was sure. He definitely would have noticed it if it had been that long..._or would I? _

_It had taken Aya,** Aya**, for gods' sake, to point it out to me!_ That still rankled. Yohji prided himself on being the expert on love and all its attributes. Hell, he knew just about every secret crush and relationship in their loud shop entourage. 

And yet he'd missed a simple thing like Ken falling in love with him. 

"Yohji-kun?" 

Omi's voice snapped him back to the here and now. Damn, that was the second time in less than ten minutes. He and that reality chick really needed to get better acquainted. 

Here he was, on a long peaceful drive out to some mansion that needed three dozen bouquets for a wedding or something, alone, with the one he most desired...and he was wasting it thinking of Aya and Ken. 

"Sorry there, bishounen, spaced out a bit." 

Yohji could swear he heard the teen muttering something about cars, attentions spans, and certain death before he raised his voice to a fully audible level. "Do you _have_ to call me that?" 

"Sure thing, _Oomii_." He emphasized the name, grinning. He could feel the glare shot at him, but that only increased his smile. After all, what could that do? He knew Aya. 

Still, Yohji chided himself, he should be feeling more remorse. He was just making Omi mad and that was a sure-fire way of losing what he wanted. 

_Unless Omi isn't what I want,_ a little voice whispered. Had been whispering, ever since Aya had confronted him three nights passed and forced him to realize what Ken was feeling for him. Smiling, soccer-loving Ken, whom he had come to consider one of his closest friends. 

Yohji wanted Omi, he was attracted to Omi. _And I'd almost gotten him to like me back._ He could feel it, knew the teen had all but given up on the stone-cold bastard when said icicle had to go and mess everything up by..._by showing me what I was too blind to see. _

"Kuso!" he muttered, flooring it, ignoring Omi's startled protest as they hurtled along the empty road. He had never meant to hurt Ken, would never want to damage their friendship, but was it possible he wanted more than just simple friendship, if that was what the brunet also desired? 

_And do you really think you have a chance with Omi, with where his heart is now?_ The little voice was back. 

"Aya began the fight. He was mad about the way I was treating Ken--" 

The younger man glanced over, surprised. "Hn? I don't understand." 

Yohji took a deep breath. He had been kidding himself, trying to keep it hidden. If he wanted to know Omi's true feeling about him, and about Aya, then first Omi was going to have to know everything. Keeping secrets wouldn't help anything. He knew enough about relationships and love to know you might build the first with lies, but to genuinely have the latter, one needed truth. 

"Aya was mad at how terribly I was treating Ken because..." Yohji risked taking his eyes off the road; this was too important to miss the other's expression. Maybe telling the full truth to Omi would help him figure out his own true feelings. "Because he loves Ken." 

***** 

"But..." his mouth opened and closed, no other sounds emerging. He tried again. "But, I love Yohji!" Every delicious, beautiful part of him. 

Ken managed the weak protest before his mouth gaped open once more, then slammed shut, then fell open yet again, searching for something more to say. _Oh very good, you can do a wonderful fish impression, want to try acting like a more sentient form of life now?_ It was times like these that he had come to hate the little voice in his head. 

Omi nodded. "Yohji-kun swears that Aya-kun knows that...but he still wants you." 

"But..._you_ love Aya!" 

This time the blond wouldn't meet his eyes. "Apparently he knows that, too...and doesn't care." 

"But.." he repeated again, for lack of anything better. _I now present, ladies and gentlemen, the amazing Ken, man of one word._ He really wished his internal voice had eyes so it could see the mental glare he was giving it. Giving it up as a lost cause, he sighed. 

His friend looked up at that, and it was then Ken thought he caught sight of a vague hint of tears in the other's eyes. Yet before he could say anything, Omi began again, softly. "I know Yohji-kun was telling the truth about this...he lies about a lot of things, but not this because...because--" 

"Because he loves you." Ken finished, then blinked. "You know, this is starting to make my head spin." 

Omi returned the comment with a lopsided smile. "Glad I'm not the only one. I feel like we're in a soap opera." 

The brunet wrinkled his nose at that. "Yeck, I hope not." That got him a chuckle. Good, that was getting the teen back on track to his normal genki self. 

"So, what do we do from here? I mean, does this--" 

"We go on with our plan." Ken grinned. "This changes nothing." Apparently his subconscious disagreed. _What the hell do you mean? This changes everything! That ice-cold but amazingly good-looking sword-wielding assassin likes, maybe even loves, you! _

But did he love him back? 

_Umm.._. If the little voice didn't know then it would be a good time for the little voice to shut up! Ok... 

Now that he was internally decided, or at least not quite so conflicted, he returned his attention to his friend. 

"The plan goes on, which means I'm heading downstairs and saying that--" 

"No..." 

"Hn?" That stopped Ken. "Why not? Don't you still want Aya to come up here? Don't you still want him..." _Maybe he still wants him the same way you still want Yohji.._.But he did still want the blond...didn't he? _Then why do your thoughts now keep circling towards a certain drop-dead gorgeous red-head?_

That was it, he didn't know where and he didn't know how but he was getting a muzzle for that damn voice if it killed him. 

"Ano, Ken..." 

The hesitant voice recaptured his focus and as brown eyes met blue he saw for certain the glimmer that signified Omiwas just barely holding back tears. Not surprising, really. There had been a few time lately he had been wanting to break down; hell, if things kept up as they were going now, it was going to be getting like a funeral around here soon...and how ironically apropos, considering their line of work-- 

"Ken-kun?" Omi was regarding him strangely. 

_Way to pay attention there! _

He growled, he couldn't help it. _Will you shut up!_

"Sorry Omi, lost in my thoughts...so, what's the plan then?" But his friend simply shook his head. "No plans, I just want you to ask Aya to come up." 

"But, if Yohji's right, he knows how you feel, won't that just--" he tried protesting. 

"Exactly. No matter what you say, he'll know what's going on. I want to...no, I _need_ to talk to him, to know the truth, to know exactly what he's truly feeling." 

Ken gazed at his friend for a moment, taking in the determined look, and then sighed. "This should be interesting..." 

With that, he turned, heading down to the basement where the two older Weiss members were supposedly going over the shop's books. Somehow Ken doubted that, though, at least in Yohji's case. Numbers, except when they belonged to beautiful women's telephones, never seemed to agree with him. 

The sight that greeted him confirmed his guess. There was Aya, as cold and stiff as usual, hunched in a corner, perusing their finical records...and there was Yohji, sprawled...in a very alluring manner...across the sofa, eyes glued to the TV. 

Ken resisted the very strong urge to vault the couch back and plant himself across the lanky form, feel his warm body beneath--_no, you promised Omi.._. 

Clearing his throat and tearing his eyes away from the soft blond waves, framing the long, handsome face, with those deep, emerald eyes that one could happily lose themselves in--_Aya, you're suppose to be talking to Aya!_

"Eto...Aya?" Suddenly amethyst eyes pierced him, and he was paralyzed by their gaze._ OK, maybe we can forgo our little chat and I'll just jump him instead_--Whoa, where had _that_ come from? Deep breath, think calming thoughts, think of cold showers, the annoying harem, think of...think of...Omi..._Omi?! Where the hell are your thoughts going? That's it, I'm getting off this train right now, see you later pal!_

As his mind momentarily jumped ship, Aya continued to regard him, his expression growing stranger as Ken's silence continued. After a moment, the brunet could suddenly feel Yohji's gaze on him from behind...he had always been very aware of where the blond's eyes were at any given moment, it was a talent but-- 

"Yes?" Apparently tired of waiting, the red-head was looking for a response. 

They were both staring at him, god, did they both have to be so damn hot? 

"Um, Omi...Omi wanted..." he managed to stammer. 

"Well, gee, you think it's about the bishounen?" Yohji joked from the couch. 

_Not helping, lovely, really, it's not! _Taking a deep breath, wishing he could bring himself to just shout that out loud, he pushed ahead. "Hewantstotalktoyou!" 

Blink...blink blink. The confusion in the violet eyes was giving him this outrageous urge to laugh. He could tell Yohji was just as perplexed, which just made the compulsion stronger. 

"Nani?" 

"Perhaps a bit slower this time," Yohji added with a grin. Ken couldn't see but he knew he had to be grinning. He only got that tone when he was grinning. _You do know you're being a baka, right? _Oh wonderful, it had come back. 

But for once he completely agreed with the stupid, irritating little voice. God help him, the world had to be coming to an end. 

"Omi would like to talk to you, Aya...alone." _There, was that really that hard? _

He glanced to Aya, who regarded him coolly, i.e. very sexily, for a moment, then rose, presumably doing as he was asked. Then he turned to take in the sight of Yohji, whose attention had returned to the TV...he was so cute when absorbed in something. 

Hard? Hell yes! 

***** 

So Omi wanted to talk to him. Problem: he had nothing to say to the teen. But Ken had asked, his Ken, and thus he found himself trudging up the stairs towards the blond's room. 

Was that truly the only reason, though? Was it because the soccer player with those chocolate eyes that could melt you (funny, he'd always thought it was the candy that was suppose to do the melting) had asked him? Or was there more to it... 

Three days ago Aya would have immediately known the answer to that riddle, but now? 

Now he was being forced to realize that his coldness, that impregnable wall he had carefully constructed, might have been built a little too high. Long ago, when he had realized the wall had a crack that was allowing Ken to get to him, he had tried to seal it, until he realized how futile the effort was. So instead he had fortified himself against everything and everyone else. 

And that was hurting people, especially the boy he was on his way to see. Boy? That wasn't right; Omi was no more a boy than the rest of them--no, he was a killer, just like they all were, making a living on other people's love by day and their blood by night. 

And yet...and yet they were his family. 

_That_ made him pause, stopped mid-step, hand frozen on the railing. 

Family? After his parents were murdered and his sister had fallen into the coma, he had had thought his family lost. Or were as good as gone until the day revenge could be taken and his sister reopened her eyes, answering his prayers. 

Yet somehow his revenge was untaken, his prayers unanswered, but he had regained a family, or at least a strange approximation of one. The four of them looked out for one another, supported each other when it all got to be too much. They'd all shared so much grief, so much pain and loss, there was no one else any of them could truly turn to but each other. 

And here he was, hurting one of them. Typical. 

Getting himself once more started on the hike upstairs, he reflected on the past few months, on all the blindingly obvious signs that he had somehow managed to miss. Omi stammering when he spoke to him, the constant surveillance when he thought the red-head wasn't looking, the blushing whenever accidental contact occurred...the note he had found with his name and Omi's surrounded by hearts, unmistakably scrawled in the teen's compact hand-writing. 

Hmm...the last one really should have clued him in. Of course, only moments after he had read said note, Ken had happened to randomly smile at him, so he supposed it was understandable that all other thoughts had fled... 

And maybe he had been purposely trying to forget, trying to block it all because...because he was confused enough by falling in love with Ken, the idea that someone could fall in love with _him_, even with his wall supposedly protecting him from such unimaginable things, was baffling. 

Aya took a deep breath, finding himself facing Omi's door. It was now or never. He gave it one sharp tap, waited. 

"Come in." He heard the muffled command, did as he was bid. 

The teen was on his bed, knees pulled up to his chest, arms encircling his legs loosely. All in all he was looking, well, to put it simply, adorable. He hated the thought, but there it was... 

Hell, who was he kidding? Ken had put the first crack in his walls the day they met, and three days ago, when the truth came out, what was left had come crumbling down. Thankfully, he didn't think the other three had noticed yet, but nonetheless, things were starting to get to him. 

Like the bishounen (Yohji had the right of it) sitting on the bed in front of him. 

_OK, you still have some control, **use it!**_ he commanded himself, clearing his throat. "Ken said you wanted to talk to me?" 

"Nn." Blue eyes turned up to meet his. "I know how you feel about Ken-kun, _and_ I know you know how I feel about you...Yohji-kun told me as much," Omi began. 

Aya managed to school his expression enough to only raise an eyebrow in slight surprise at this revelation. Inside, however, he was seething...or thought he should be. Who was the older man to be bandying about _his_ feelings? However, in truth, Aya found he wasn't mad, only...confused. Where did they go from here? 

He realized as the silence stretched that the other was waiting for his response. Well, that made two of them. What was he supposed to say? 

Thankfully, for some unknown reason, Lady Luck decided to grace him with her much-appreciated presence, and saved him from the need of offering a reply--for now, anyways. 

"Aya, Omi, Manx is here. We have a mission!" 


	3. Skirmish

Yay! Part 3, go me! Hehe, I a poet and I don't even know it...OK, can you tell I'm tired? My apologies for it yet again taking a while to get this out. I hope everyone enjoys this bit, it's shorter than the last. *shrug* Oh well. 

Oh, reviews are very welcome...HELL, I'm desperate! I LOVE hearing from everyone :)...Also, due to a rather fun if odd IM conversation there's a little contest...guess what the title, T.B.S. stands for...if you get it right, I'll...ermm, think of something! :) (NO cheating, people who have been told *cough* Neechan! Meghan!) 

***** 

Yohji stared at the bottle sitting before him on the coffee table. 

Slowly he reached out with one long index finger, pushing it a centimeter to the right. And then the same centimeter back to the left. The bottle of scotch remained unopened, as did the several other bottles he had collected and placed near him on the floor. 

He couldn't decided whether to drink them or not. Hangovers on a mission were a bitch and it looked like tomorrow night was a go. 

On the other hand, he had some toasting to do. A friend, or maybe just a random guy he'd met at a club, he couldn't remember now, had once told him toasting should be done with hard liquor only if one's intent was to get roaring drunk. 

Well, right now Yohji felt he very much needed to be good and sloshed. 

Decision made, he reached for the bottle, opened it swiftly and poured himself a healthy shot. 

"To Omi," he muttered into the silence of the basement. 

Downing it, he decided the glass did not deserve to be empty for an overly long amount of time and filled it once more. 

"To Ken." Another one down the hatch. 

He paused for a moment, considering the next glass. Hell, why not? "To Aya." 

The red-head warranted it, after all, for being able to captivate and hold the attention of not one, but two of their fellow teammates. As if Omi hadn't been bad enough, now this thing with Ken... 

Yohji shook his head, sighing. During this entire past week, between the reconnaissance and preparations for the upcoming mission as well as the inordinately large number of orders they'd had to fill during the day, he'd seen it. Ken's eyes following Aya with the same hungry look the brunet had once only turned towards him. 

It rankled, and yet he couldn't really be mad. Not when he had never noticed the look until after he was being forced to share it. And share was what he was doing because apparently Ken was having as much trouble deciding what he wanted as Yohji himself was, if the amount of times the chocolate eyes shifted from blond hair to red was any indication. 

After the first two days, Yohji had decided to also take a gander at what had been stealing Omi's affection for so long and now seemed to be capturing Ken's as well. And, observing him in that light, he supposed the two younger Weiss did have a reason, the man was _hot_-- 

"Ahem." 

--as well as sexy, Yohji reflected as he looked up into the amethyst eyes glaring down at him. 

Kuso, what time was it? A quick glance at the clock showed one A.M. Apparently Aya was back, and at a fairly reasonable time, Yohji told himself, as much as he wished it could have been much later. He hadn't even gotten a chance to go through one bottle...oh wait, yes he had. _When the hell did that happen?_

Still, more time alone would have been nice, but he supposed the hospital didn't like visitors staying too late, even one they saw as often as Aya. While he couldn't be positive that was where the other assassin had gone, it just happened to be the only thing that made sense. 

Ken and Omi were still out, not surprising, really. It was sort of an unspoken rule before any major mission to spend the night before alone, separated from each other. Truly, Yohji was never sure if it was a way for them to distance themselves from people before they started slaughtering them, or simply preparation in case this was the mission they didn't return from. Either way, the tradition held. 

"What are you doing?" The cool voice snapped him back. Well, apparently traditions were to be broken tonight. Ah well, at least he wasn't the one who decided that...he was just going to continue it. 

"Drinking...care for some?" 

***** 

"No." 

The response was reflex, out before the question was finished. And yet, Aya found himself not turning away as he intended but instead staring at the glass, and the man holding it. 

This man Ken loved, and Omi seemed to be warming to. 

Without a word, he held out his hand and waited. 

It took a moment before the green eyes widened in surprise. Then a slow grin spread across Yohji's face as he grabbed up a second glass, filled it, and handed it over. Topping his own, he lifted it, throwing Aya a smirk. 

"A toast, to you and I, to Ken and Omi, to this whole bloody mess." With that he downed the glass and Aya had no choice but to follow suit...and try very hard not to gag. God, the stuff tasted _awful! Yum yum, rubbing alcohol, taaassty._ He recalled now why he rarely drank. 

And yet for some inexplicable-even-to-himself reason, he held out his glass to be refilled. As the blond complied, Aya considered Yohji's earlier words. _A bloody mess._ Yes, that summed it up nicely. 

The past week had been truly unbearable. He had always been sensitive to where Ken's eyes were focused, and thus it had been a slight shock when he had found them constantly on himself. Apparently Omi had gone on to share with the brunet what Yohji had told him. _Wonderful._

And then of course there was the teen himself. By the end of this week, Aya had decided he had had quite enough of learning what the cute little animals in the zoo felt like. The fan girls had been bad enough, but he could ignore them. His teammates' eyes were not so easy to disregard. 

Most bothersome of all, it seemed that somewhere along the line Yohji had decided to check out what the other two found so enrapturing. Damn green eyes, damn blue eyes, damn brown eyes, he was getting sick of all three pairs being locked on him. 

And now the foremost, despite starting to be glazed over from the affects of the alcohol, were once more piercing him. 

"Y'know...Aya..." Yohji began, words slurred ever so slightly. That was strange; he'd always thought of the older man as having a high tolerance. It was then he noticed that somewhere along the line they had finished the first bottle and were well on their way through the second. 

What was the proof on this stuff again? He couldn't make out the number from here, for some reason his vision seemed to be fuzzy (must be the bad light) but he was fairly sure it had 3 digits. _Well, this should make tomorrow night's mission interesting, if nothing else--_

A light touch on his cheek brought his attention swiftly back to the man in front of him. _Damn, when did he get that close?_

"I guess I can see it..." 

Aya blinked. "Hn?" He couldn't be sure if it was his surprise or the alcohol or a combination of the two that was making him so utterly inarticulate. 

"Why they both like you." Again the gentle caress. 

_Why am I allowing this? Why aren't I stopping him?_

"I mean, when you actually allow that icicle shoved up your ass to thaw a bit, you're really not that bad a guy--ouch! That stung." Yohji cradled the hand Aya had removed--forcefully--from his cheek. "You truly are incapable of being serious." 

The blond glared at him reproachfully. "I'll have you know I mean every word I say when I'm drunk!" 

Aya considered him with a raised eyebrow, speculating the comment would have been much more believable if delivered with even the slightest hint of straight face. 

Laughing, Yohji reached for the bottle. "Ah, fuck it all. Want another?" 

And, for some unfathomable reason, he accepted the offer. 

***** 

Ken, soccer ball clutched in one hand, attempting to juggle his key and cleats with the other, entered the place as quietly as possible, not wishing to wake the others up if they were already asleep. Which was likely, considering the time. 

He hadn't meant to play quite this late; he had just been enjoying himself entirely too much to stop. It was peaceful playing alone at night, the only one out on the fluorescent-lit field. Out there, weaving among the deep shadows, it was easy to forget what he would be called on to do the next day. 

Ken always found he had trouble leaving the field at times like that, leaving one of the few comforting places and times that he truly felt at peace and in control, but tonight had been especially hard, with not just his conscience in its normal turmoil but his heart as well. 

Creeping through the kitchen, he paused, surprised to see the basement door open, a soft light emanating up from it. Curious despite his sensible side's obnoxious protest that he really should be going to bed, _you have enough trouble getting up even when you haven't gone to bed at...what time was it?_

A swift glance at the clock revealed it to be approaching 4 A.M...._ugh._ Thankfully he had of late had a lot of practice at silencing said voice, and proceeded down the stairs. 

Ken wasn't sure what he had been expecting to find when he reached his destination, but what he did find certainly wasn't it. A quick count of bottles brought him seven, all which looked to have been opened and drained. _What the hell where they thinking?_

The 'they' to which he referred were both still at the scene of the crime, hunched on the couch, Yohji's head resting on Aya's shoulder, both either asleep or passed out. Judging by the amount of alcohol imbibed, most likely the latter. 

The brunet just stared, shocked, trying to grasp what he was seeing. He couldn't believe it, couldn't believe they would decide to get smashed the night before a mission...couldn't believe Aya would ever even choose to get drunk, mission or no mission. He couldn't believe-- 

_Ah hell, admit it, you can't believe they chose to party without you! But just think, now you can do as you please with both of them ! Think of the possibilities..._

Thankfully a groan, wafting from direction of the sofa, distracted him from attempting to figure out how one goes about strangling one's own mental voice. Sighing, Ken walked over, debating the best course of action. He supposed he should try to get them up to bed, or at least get some water into them. Doing a mission on little to no sleep was one thing; attempting to quickly and efficiently infiltrate and kill a group of extremely corrupt and shady business men with a hangover was quite another. "C'mon guys, you really should get to bed." 

Reaching out, he gently shook Yohji's shoulder...and found himself being pulled down to join them on the couch, an orange-clad arm wrapped firmly about his waist. "Anoo...Aya?" Twisting around, he could see the redhead was completely unaware of his actions, caught in some alcohol-muddled dream. Unfortunately, his strength seemed not to have diminished at all, and Ken was having a devil of a time getting up. 

_Or maybe it's just because you're enjoying--err, right, I'll just go sit in this corner over here and wait for your Prozac to take affect. _

It was always nice when your inner voice could sense the deadly vibes you were sending it. One problem down, one to go. 

_Make that two...well three, since I'm most certainly not that easy to do away with._ The impertinent little voice snidely remarked as another hand wound its way about his shoulders and dragged him as close as possible without breaking Aya's grip. 

Yohji was snuggling him from one side, and Aya was wrapped about his other, one silky strand of red hair draped over one shoulder, luxurious waves of blond tumbling over his other. 

_EEP!_

It was then Ken's mind decided to go entirely blank...even the cheeky voice was silent. 

*** 

Honestly, he would have thought walking in on the sight that met his eyes would have made him jealous, yet instead he laughed. He just couldn't help it. The tableau spread out before him was just too unexpected for his mind to do anything but initiate that response. 

The sound, however, jerked Ken out of whatever shocked stupor he had been in. 

Brown, pleading eyes met his friend's blue ones. "Omi, _tasukete!"_

This only increased his laughter. It was all just too much. The stresses and confusions of the last week, hell, the last few months, combined with the bizarre sight of what was obviously a very drunk Aya and Yohji clutching a confused Ken was just the last straw. 

His friend stared at him as if he had lost his mind. Well, if he had it was no more than the rest of them...of course that wasn't saying much. Considering the insanities of the last few days, Omi had a sinking suspicion all four of them had, finally, completely and utterly misplaced all their few scattered marbles. 

It took him a moment to realize Ken had joined in the laughter. 

"Grr...someone care to share the joke? Or instead maybe they could just shut the hell up?" Yohji's muffled, grouchy voice silenced them both as abruptly as they had began. Omi cocked his head for a moment, considering, then turned, making to leave the room. Ken's panicked voice made him pause. 

"Omi, matte! Where are you going?" 

The teen looked back, throwing a grin over his shoulder. "To get a camera." 

"OMI!" 

Truly he couldn't blame Aya's long-standing (or for that matter Yohji's new-found) attraction to his brown-haired friend. He was just too adorable when he got all shocked and flustered like that. 

Ken's desperate pleas for their elder teammates to release him followed the youngest assassin as he left and made his way to the shop, grabbing some paper and pen along the way. Scribbling a quick message, he taped it securely to the door for all to read, and most likely pout about, and then returned to the basement, though not before hastily filling two tall glasses of water. 

The relief on his friend's face as he noted the absence of the afore threatened camera was almost enough to start Omi laughing again. Not that it would have mattered anyways. 

During his brief absence, Ken had managed to rouse the two older men, as well as make them painfully aware of their earlier actions, if the expression on their faces was any indicator. Each sat as far away as possible from each other without abandoning the much-needed support of the sofa, and they were steadfastly avoiding each other's eyes as well as Ken's, the latter having taken up residence on the floor. 

"I posted that the shop will be closed all of tomorrow." He got a nod of thanks from Ken, a grunt from Yohji...from Aya nothing. "Even so, we still should all probably go off to bed, get some sleep." 

The relief of having an excuse to depart was palpable from all quadrants. Walking over to Aya, Omi thrust one glass of water into his hand, then passed the other over to Yohji. "Drink," he ordered firmly. 

Both did so, though neither looked up, eyes determined not to meet anyone else's. After he saw both were entirely finished, he collected the empty cups and watched as almost in synch the two men rose, Yohji making his way only slightly weaving, towards the door. Aya followed, steps more uneven. 

And still no eye contact. Omi suppressed a sigh. "Look on the bright side," he began once he was sure they were out of earshot. Ken looked up, confused, as Omi continued, "At least tonight there's no visual signals, only radios. Otherwise I think we'd be in real trouble..." 

***** 


	4. Battle

Chapter 4: Battle 

***** 

"Well, this sucks." 

_Couldn't have put it better myself._ Out loud, Ken deigned not to reply to Yohji's outburst, choosing instead to stare at his bugnuk-less hands, cupped in his lap. However, as much as the brunet hated to admit it, he agreed with both Yohji and his own obnoxious, talkative subconscious. Weiss had definitely had more successful missions. 

_Yeah, like every other one you've ever gone on. _

_Don't push it,_ he remonstrated the voice, not wanting it to think for a moment that he had actually given into it. He was still in control. 

_Sure, you're sitting in a locked cell, easily captured by those you were sent to kill. Yeah, in total control._

Ken growled before he could stop himself. Green and violet pairs of eyes both flicked over to him. _Oh great, now look what you've done. _

He couldn't help it; he snapped. Fist balled tight, he slammed it into the hard concrete of the cell, welcoming the flash of pain accompanying the impact. He was angry, at himself, at his three teammates, at the situation, but most especially at who or whatever up there that was getting a good laugh at his expense. 

"Damaging your hand is not going to help the mission any." Aya's softly spoken words halted the brunet's fist only a fraction of inch from connecting with the ground for a second time. 

"Gee, you'd think getting caught also wouldn't help the mission any, but I didn't see that stopping you." 

He regretted the words the instant they were out of his mouth. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Yohji wincing. Apparently the blond also hadn't missed the way Aya's eyes narrowed, nor the way he began clenching his fists as if picturing someone's neck between his fingers. "Are you implying something, Siberian?" 

Eep! Ken gulped, resisting the urge to fling himself against the bars and beg for assistance, or at the very least, mercy. 

The redhead had risen and was slowly striding over, one graceful, deadly step at a time. "Are you suggesting that our incarceration is perhaps my fault?" 

_Well, look on the bright side, they were probably going to torture you for information and then kill you. This way it will all be over much quicker. _

"Well?" the looming shadow hissed down at him. 

"Err, well...I was just thinking that getting roaring drunk the night before a mission might not have been the wisest..." Ken trailed off, silenced by the look of death radiating from the face poised only inches above his own. 

From off to the side, he swore he heard the sound of Yohji's laughter, giving Ken the strong desire to throw something at him, or beat him to death with his boot, or maybe... 

_Or maybe you could just kiss him._

For once, his subconscious had Ken completely stumped. _Which him? _

_Either, does it really matter?_

Thinking about it, he supposed not. Either way it would probably just make matters worse. 

In the meantime, Aya, sick of waiting, unaware of the internal conversation, had grabbed the brunet's shirt and started shaking him furiously. Thankfully, the third member of their team was a little more on the up and up and moved to do something about it, even if Ken himself wasn't going to. 

"Aya, I don't think that's really helping--" Yohji, rushing over, reached to stop the swordsman. 

Ken grinned. "--But hey, if it makes you feel better, by all means, continue." 

With a snarl, the hands dropped him, and Aya began to stalk away. 

"What, no more roughhousing?" _Why am I doing this? Why am I goading him like this?_ He could see Aya's shoulders stiffen, could tell he was upset. _Ken, you're such a baka._

Yohji apparently had a different explanation for his behavior. Leaning down, the older man gave him a lopsided grin. "Jeez, Ken, I never took you for a masochist before." 

The brunet shrugged, starting to rise. "Guess I must be, to fall in love with both of you and...oh shit." The words were out before he had time to realize what exactly he was saying. 

In the process of reaching out to help Ken up, Yohji froze, hand extended. Across the room, Aya swung around, eyes wide, an uncharacteristic expression of shock on the usually solemn, stony face. 

Glancing first from one beautiful visage to the other, Ken decided his best bet was to look somewhere else. Like the nice, _hard_, stone wall behind him. "So, I'm just going to go slam my head repeatedly against this wall until I make absolutely sure my mouth can never possibly betray me like that again. Don't mind me." 

Turning with the full intention to make good on his words, Ken was halted by two voices simultaneously shouting his name. Leaning forward, he squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his head against the cool surface, hoping in the dim light they would be unable to see the flush creeping into his cheeks. 

_How could I be such a Baka? Baka--_

"Ken, did you..." 

Uncomfortable silence. _Good try, Aya--Baka, baka, baka--_

"Umm...Ken..." 

_--Hehe, for once, Yohji, _Aya_ is more articulate, if only a bit--Baka, Baka--_

"Siberian!" 

_Wait a minute, that sounded like--_

"Abyssinian! Balinese!" 

Embarrassment temporarily forgotten, Ken spun around, noticing Aya and Yohji do the same, to see Omi being led down the hall by three guards, gun directed steadily at him. 

"_Kuso."_

Ken heard Yohji's soft curse at the sight, echoed it with one of his own. They were now totally, officially screwed. Still, after the last few moments, the brunet was beginning to feel the torture and death most likely in store for them would be welcome. 

Hell, maybe when they opened the cell to throw Omi in, if he charged them, they might do the favor of shooting him-- 

A restraining hand on his shoulder quenched the thought before it was fully formed. "Don't even think of it...Siberian." 

_Oh swell, Aya's reading minds now, too. _

With one gun trained on them, one trained on Omi, the cell was quickly opened, the fourth Weiss member hastily tossed in, the cell relocked and the guards departed. All was conducted in silence. 

As soon as the three men were out of eye- and earshot, Omi turned slowly around and subjected his older teammates to a withering glare. 

Ken blinked. _Wow, and I thought _Aya_ was scary._

"One of you want to explain to me how they managed to capture _all three of you?!"_

****** 

Omi had begun to worry when all three of the others were five minutes late to the rendezvous. Due to the complex's tight, high-tech security, they had decided that radio communication would be unwise. Thus beforehand they had each taken a specific assigned task, of which his had been by far the most difficult. 

He was to penetrate one of the labs, hack into the network, and cause a blackout, giving a chance for the other three to slip into the executives' office area and take out three key individuals. Not only was Omi expected to do the initial break-in and hack, he was also suppose to make the hack easily traceable so they would come looking for him, making it the perfect decoy. 

All Aya, Yohji and Ken had to do was wait for the signal of the lights' out, slip in, dispose of each of their individual targets, and get the hell out of Dodge. 

Simple. Hence at first Omi was more surprised than anything else when the other three did not show up. After fifteen minutes, he let anger override surprise : What the hell were they doing that was taking so long? After half an hour, he made the decision to go back in, worry having won out over both surprise and anger. 

It all came down to the fact that if they were going to go down, he'd rather go down with them than go on without them...any of them. 

Capture or death, one or the other, or more likely both, were inevitable the moment Omi went back inside. He knew that, was expecting it. Knew that there was a good chance his teammates...no, more than that, his friends, possibly even his love(s) were most likely seriously injured or dead. Nothing else would ever slow them down, delay them. 

After twenty minutes of easily avoiding guards, Omi found himself just plain confused. The security in the place was tight, but not _that_ bad, nothing compared to what they'd dealt with in the past. So what was going on? 

Omi's mystery was solved as he overheard two men talking of the three men they had found "sloppily" snooping around. Unfortunately his curiosity got the better of him, and as his eavesdropping continued he ended up finding himself at the wrong end of a machine gun muzzle. 

Oops. 

As his captors led him down the hall, he allowed himself to feel no regret for the moment, focusing on the relief at knowing the other three alive. However, that initial feeling quickly wore off, and Omi's anger took hold once again. From what he saw, none of them were even hurt. They were fine, so what the hell had happened? How badly had they botched up that they _all_ managed to get captured? 

Thus, by the time his three escorts had left, he was positively seething. "One of you want to explain to me how they managed to capture all _three of you?!"_

In any other circumstance, Omi would have found it funny how they all went about avoiding his eyes. But not now. Now, he simply growled, "_What."_ Glaring at Yohji, not so cunningly attempting to distract himself with a bit of lint on his coat. 

"The hell." Switching to Aya, who seemed to think Omi was about seven feet tall, judging by where he was looking. 

"Happened?" Shifting his gaze to include Ken, who seemed to be...fighting off a blush? _OK, that's a bit weird._ Choosing to file it for later, he stepped forward. "Speak!" 

Just his luck that they all decided to jump in at once. 

"It wasn't my fault." "It was all Ken's fault." "HEY!" 

"I hope you had the good sense to alert Manx or Birman before coming after us?" 

The last came from Aya, and since Ken and Yohji seemed be suddenly involved in a shouting match, Omi decided to focus on the swordsman's question. 

Well, at least until the question actually _registered,_ a which point he decided the blond and brunet beginning to wrestle on the floor was far more important. 

"Yohji, Ken, stop that this instant!" The red-head's barked order brought them to a temporary halt, thus allowing all three of Omi's teammates to turn their full attention on him. 

_Swell_. 

"I take it from your avoidance that the answer is no." 

The disapproval in those violet depths was almost more than he could bear. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "But what could I do? I was getting worried, it was a simple mission and yet _none_ of you showed up at the rendezvous, I had no clue what happened, and..." He trailed off. 

"We all know the mission comes first. If you thought it had been compromised, you should have contacted--" "Goddamit, I was _worried!_" Omi exploded. "Does that mean nothing? I thought something terrible might have happened to one or all of you and I couldn't stand the thought and all you can talk about is the mission?!" 

Aya continued to regard him coolly as the youngest Weiss member raged on, then opened his mouth to reply, only to be cut off by Yohji. 

"Hell, Aya, leave him alone. After all, we both know the whole reason you botched up the mission was because you were worried about Ken." 

_"Nani?!"_

Omi couldn't be sure where the question came from: Aya, Ken or from his own troublesome lips. It didn't really matter, though. 

"Run that by me again, _Balinese_." The name emerged more as a hiss. "I wouldn't be the one talking, considering I have not missed the recent switch in your affections--coveting _my_ Ken." 

Apparently Yohji missed the ominous tone or was feeling suicidal; either way, he had a retort ready. "So now he's your property? Ah, Hello? You're the one who pointed out that he was after _me!_ So maybe I've decided I want him." 

"Um, am I a piece of meat or something?" Ken's question earned him a sharp glare from both the elder Weiss members before they returned to their arguing. 

"And let's not forget the way I've recently seen you looking at Omi. If Ken's 'yours', what's your interest in Omi?!" 

That got the teen's attention. "What, Aya's interested in me?" His heart was racing--could it possibly be true? But..._but now what about your feelings for Yohji?_ Omi's attention was swiftly returned to the here and now by Ken's shout, accompanied by him forcing his way between both Aya and Yohji, who were becoming increasingly louder and more vehement with every rejoinder. 

"Are you just planning to decide which of you gets which of us?" Ken nodded his head towards Omi, who returned the gesture with a look of bewilderment. 

Yohji looked surprised; Aya however, turned to the brunet coolly. "You already told us you wanted us both, so do you really care who you get?" 

_"Nani?!"_ This time Omi was sure he himself was the source of the shout. "When did--" "Hey, don't blame me. My mouth did all the talking in that admission; I myself played no part." 

Silence. 

Blink. 

A laugh. Yohji, holding a hand over his mouth, trying to suppress it and failing miserably. Omi couldn't blame him, considering how hard he was clenching his jaw to prevent the laughter from overwhelming himself as well. And out of the corner of his eye, he distinctly saw Aya's lips twitch, the anger in his brilliant eyes fading. 

It was then that it dawned. The realization...and the solution. It wasn't just Aya he loved, or Yohji; he loved them both, as well as... 

"All this arguing is so stupid. The solution's so simple, why haven't we seen it earlier?" 

Walking forward, Omi grabbed Ken's shoulder, spinning him around. 

All this time, all the stupid games, the stress, the worry, and there was an easy, obvious answer. Reaching up, Omi slid an arm around Ken's waist, with his other hand grasped the back of his head, tugging the older man forward until they were eye to eye. 

Tilting his head slightly, ignoring the identical shocked looks on all three of his fellow teammates' faces, Omi brought their lips together. 

****** 

Yay, only one part left! C&C welcome...and err, I know there have been a lot of voting for different pairings but I've had this planned out from the beginning and er...just don't kill me, onegai... 

Oh, and as always, thanks to my wonderful beta, XmagicalX, as well as all the other people that have encouraged me to finish this! 

merp! Having issues w/ ff.net and HTML!!! 


	5. Victory

Aya gaped at the two in shock, fighting the feeling that his world had suddenly, abruptly, been turned upside down...and inside out, and...and..._Omi is kissing Ken!_ My _Ken!_ And...my Omi...and _if that isn't a turn on I don't know what is!_ The realization was accompanied by the not so unpleasant tightening of his jeans. 

As unexpectedly as it had begun, Omi just as suddenly broke off the kiss, pulling away sharply, leaving Aya unsure whether to be relieved or disappointed. His one conciliation was that Yohji, and more importantly, Ken, were looking just as confused. 

_What the hell was going on?_

And then, as Aya watched, a smile slowly crept to the brunet's lips, and with a slight nod, some kind of understanding seemed to pass between his two younger team mates. Now if only they'd explain it to him. 

Surprisingly, that was exactly what they proceeded to do, using the exact same method. 

The shock of Omi's lips pressed against his own wore off after only a second. As inexperienced as he obviously was, the boy was insistent, Aya had to give him that. Finding little resistance, Omi coaxed the red-head's lips open with his tongue and did a quick exploration of the other's mouth. 

Shivering at the sensation, Aya couldn't quite suppress a gasp when the contact was suddenly broken, the younger teen pulling back to…to _smirk_ at him! There was no other way to describe it. Confusion making a rather convincing pitch to become anger, Aya opened his mouth to demand an explanation-- 

And froze, mouth agape as he finally noticed whose tongues had also been busy as his and Omi's had sparred. 

As if sensing the amethyst daggers directed at them, Ken and Yohji broke apart, rather reluctantly if Aya was any judge. Much to his consternation, the blond was looking far too pleased with himself. And Ken… 

Ken was staring straight at him, chocolate eyes dancing. However, it was to Omi he spoke. "Definitely the perfect solution." 

The teen grinned back, smile growing. "Switch?" 

"Hai!" 

And just like that, the body Aya had been desiring for so many long months was twining his well-muscled arms about the swordsman's slender waist, lips capturing his as Omi's had only moments before. 

The part of Aya that was screaming for some semblance of an explanation as to what was going on was drowned out by the wave of bliss that washed over him at the feel of Ken's lips locked to his own, of the lean body pressed tightly against his. 

Explanations be damned; this was all Aya needed for now. 

"Ken…" he moaned softly as the other gently withdrew, pulling back to look Aya directly in the eyes. 

"Understand now?" 

"…" Aya blinked owlishly down at him, unsure how to reply, not knowing what to say, or even what to think. 

"Never thought you to be _this_ slow on the uptake," a voice breathed in his ear. Surprised, Aya glanced around to find Yohji , one arm flung about Omi's now bare shoulders, standing directly behind him. And somehow, without his noticing at all, the taller man's other arm gripped Aya's own shoulder. 

_When had he-_- 

"Guess I'll just have to give him yet another hint." 

After a minute or so, Aya decided that older man was by far the most experienced kisser, doing things with his tongue that the other assassin didn't even know were humanly possible until that instance. He found himself rejoicing at the discovery. 

Finally, he was forced to pull away, gasping a much-needed breath. Looking down, he found Ken, arms still twined tightly around Aya's middle, having seconds with Omi. After a moment, the two broke apart, also short of breath. 

Slowly glancing from blue eyes, to green, to brown, Aya found his lips inexplicably curving into a smile. "Oh." 

"By Jove I think he's got it!" 

"Yes, and I'll have some more, thank you." Ken being closest and therefore most convenient, Aya decided _this_ time he was initiating the kiss. 

***** 

Yohji happened to be lucky enough to glance up at just the right time to catch sight of the guard before the man did anything. Or so he thought. 

On further observation, it appeared the man was unmoving, mouth dropped in what was presumably shock at the sight of them and their varying states of undress. Thus there was no telling how long he had been standing there, only a hands' breadth from where Aya had Ken pinned against the bars, before Yohji had needed air enough to come up from the passionate embrace he was tangled in and notice. Aya and Ken appeared completely oblivious. 

Below him, Yohji took note of the alluring pout beginning to appear on Omi's face due to his momentary inattention to the matter at hand. Or rather what he gripped in his hand. _Well, we certainly can't have that, now can we?_ "Do you mind?" Yohji drawled. 

The guard in question blinked, slamming his mouth shut, an embarrassed expression coming over his face. "Er…I…ss…sorry," he stammered, and began to turn automatically, too dazed by the sight of the four of them entangled together to do much else. 

Thankfully, Aya was still somewhat attuned with the present crisis, i.e. their little problem of capture. Pausing in his exuberant search of Ken, somehow managing to ignore the brunet's throaty moan of protest at the sudden separation of Aya's lips from his body, (a feat Yohji silently gave him huge credit for accomplishing) Aya thrust his hand through the bars of their cell, grabbing hold of the departing guard's collar. 

Wrenching his hand back, Aya yanked the guard's head to impact the bars with a sickening _thunk_. Releasing his grip, the man fell, unconscious before he hit the floor. Rummaging through the man's pockets, Aya was in possession of the key within moments. 

There was a moment of dumbfounded silence. Then Yohji found himself beginning to chuckle. "That was brilliant. Aya, I could kiss you!" 

_Actually, that wasn't a bad idea._ Pushing himself off Omi with a quick kiss, he reached up, snagging the redhead's hands and removing the keys grasped in them. 

Tossing the ring of keys to Omi, Yohji gestured for him to open the cell. Meanwhile, he had plans to reward their 'fearless leader' for his quick thinking. After an enjoyable taste of the redhead's mouth, Yohji pulled back, shooting Aya a grin. "Nice to know not only do you think quick on your feet, but also sprawled over another teammate." 

"I think fast in _any_ position." 

"Oh reaally?" Ken murmured softly, pressing up to both of them. "What do you say, Yohji?" 

Sliding an arm around the brunet's slim waist, hand slipping under the cloth in the beginning of a caress, Yohji's grin grew. "I say we have to test his ability to think lightning quick in _all_ positions." 

"Hmm…yes…all." 

"Perhaps...though might I suggest that we escape first?" Aya commented dryly, though Yohji could tell he was suppressing his smile with no small effort. "Omi's had the cell door open for a while now." 

"No sense of adventure," Yohji muttered, though he followed the others out. 

"No," came Omi's glib answer from up ahead. "I bet he just doesn't want to get interrupted again. And neither do I, particularly." 

Beside him, Ken sighed dejectedly, though there was a sparkle in his eyes. "I suppose they _do_ have a point, ne?" 

The blond nodded. "Certainly. After you?" He gestured, allowing Ken to proceed him out, taking up the rear. 

Either to make up for their initial stupidity in getting caught and thus not come home completely disgraced to Kritiker, or, as was Yohji's personal theory, they all were just in a momentous hurry to get home and finish what had begun in the cell, they made fast work in completing the mission. 

Taking completely by surprise the guards who had naturally assumed them still incarcerated, they saw dead who needed to be killed and made a fast getaway. As they piled into the car, Yohji, starting up the engine, turned to his teammates…his lovers. The thought brought an unbidden grin to his lips. 

"So, are we all in agreement that our little…mistake in getting caught--" 

"Temporarily," Omi interjected cheerfully 

"Temporarily caught," Yohji amended "need never be reported?" 

Ken and Omi both nodded emphatically. And, after a moment's hesitation, Aya capitulated with a sigh. 

"That does bring up another question, though…" Ken began hesitantly. 

"Aa?" 

"What _are_ we going to tell Kritiker about…er…well.." 

"Us?" Yohji finished bluntly. At Ken's confirming nod, he shrugged, gunning the gas to send them hurtling down the empty, dark road. No one spoke. 

"It's none of their damn business," Aya suddenly burst out, his voice deadly soft; serious. "They've made it impossible for us to be close to anyone but each other. So it's _their_ problem that we've decided all we want--all we _need_ is each other." 

Out of the corner of his eye, Yohji watched Omi's face alight with his characteristic smile, Ken mirroring it a second later. He himself nodded. 

"Here here. They put us together and now we're staying together. They don't like it, they can--" 

"--go fuck themselves." Ken finished. "After all, we'll be to busy screwing each other to help. Ne?" Adding emphasis to his last statement, he pounced Aya, who happened to be sharing the back seat with him. 

"Hey no fair! I'm driving so I can't join in the fun!" 

"To bad," came Aya's rejoinder a moment later as he came up for air. 

Yohji sighed, resentment easing as Omi slid closer to him and began showering his free arm and neck with kisses. 

After a minutes of contented silence (minus a few *ahem* noises), Yohji cleared his throat, trying very hard to remind himself that turning and taking Omi's mouth, not to mention other parts, in his would _not_ better his already deranged driving. "You know, there is still one major problem we have to deal with." 

In the rearview mirror, he saw Ken and Aya pause, glancing at him worriedly. Beside him, Omi also stopped in his nibbling, craning his neck to peer up in question. 

"Where the _hell_ are we going to sleep?" 

**Owari**

YATTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm done, I did it!! Celebrate good times, oh yah!! It only took me over a YEAR but I'm DONE! Hazaah!!! 

OK, just so everyone knows, that ending is what I've had planned the entire time. The point of this fic was to get the four of them together :) Hope no one's too upset with that. There were so many requests for different pairings, guess I gave everyone what they wanted…or no one. *shrug* 

I want to thank everyone who reviewed or pushed me to write more *ahem* *cough* my sister especially. Who also happens to be my wonderful beta. Arigatou 'neechan. 

One last thing, I do have an idea for a sequel...not sure I'm going to bother but, if I did, would anyone be interested in reading it? Lastly, pleasepleaseplease review! Thanks! 


End file.
